-says new local actress Priya

THE acting career of Indranie Heranandan Alli, known as Priya, may have gotten off to a late start, but this by no means diminishes the passion that she comes with and her quest to do well and move ahead in the field.

As a child, she enjoyed stage acting, dancing, and singing, but she had never been given the opportunity beyond her home to perform at any major activities to showcase her talents.

“Due to many unfortunate reasons, I was never trained professionally,” she shared in a recent interview with Buzz.

Most of the skills that she has today, she learnt them on her own.

“…coaching and mentorship by some very important players have transformed my shattered dreams into reality in 2023 because of Shades of Brown,” she added.

Shades of Brown is a brand new show that seeks to portray the Guyanese culture in the keenest way possible through a plot that showcases an interracial couple and their struggles to be together. It was written and produced by Anastacia Shako-Van Tull.

“My love for local drama has led me to accept the role pitched to me in Shades of Brown. I believe that in our country we need to remove stigma within our society in respect to racism. Shades of Brown is very informative and is aimed at uniting the citizens of Guyana. If I can use my hobby of acting to help our State heal and unite, then why not choose the role in Shades of Brown as the platform to showcase this,” Priya reasoned.

The first role she had done was in Brown Sugar Too Bitter for Me part 2, by Mahadeo Shivraj.

Due to COVID-19, however, the release date was pushed back to February 19, 2023.

“This is the first major role I am playing in this Guyanese interracial series. Playing the character of the Indian mother, ‘Preity,’ was very exciting for me. I enjoyed being that character very much.”

Priya feels great to know that even at this late stage, her talent is being acknowledged.

“Getting into the industry was hard for me. It’s late for me, but the star is still shining brightly. Some people have shunned me when I approached them to showcase some of my talents; maybe I was not up to standard. But, I never gave up. I continued to pursue and thanks to a few people like Mr. Shivraj, Ms. Sonia Yarde, Ms. Dowding, Paul Budnah, Annie, Kazim, and few others, who believed in me and my magical touches.”
Offering a word of advice, Priya says that irrespective of your age, you should pursue your dream.

“Do not crumble them, no matter how many failures and disappointments you may have encountered. Continue to grow stronger from the failures and the criticism and aim for the sky. You will get there with strong determination.”

She would especially like to see more resources being added to the drama industry to encourage local young talents.

“We have great talents that can take us high places once we can get the necessary resources and support,” she said.